


Life in Code

by Sarah_Lynn



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Fairly Random, Felicity's thoughts, One-Shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-02 05:19:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11502585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarah_Lynn/pseuds/Sarah_Lynn
Summary: A series of short one-shots that take a look what goes through Felicity's head during her journey with Team Arrow.NOW COMPLETE!Chapter 1: function techSupport(light)Chapter 2: document.getElementById(‘overwatch’)Chapter 3: olicity.split('wedding')NEW! Chapter 4: ota.concat(['curtis','rene','dinah'])





	1. function techSupport(light)

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. My writing days are long behind me, and I didn’t have a beta or anyone to proofread this, so I apologize for any mistakes and for the fact that it’s not as polished as it should be.  
> 2\. I tend to see myself as more of an Oliver than a Felicity, so this was a surprise to me, but I’m hoping that I was still able to do justice to this amazing character.  
> 3\. This is the first in a series of (very) short one-shots about Felicity’s thoughts. It is intended to be fairly canon-compliant. It’s not necessarily in chronological order. Right now I have this written, an outline for the next one-shot, and ideas for two more stories. We’ll see how many of those actually go up (and if there's more after that). I can’t promise any set posting schedule because I tend to just do these when I get inspired, but I can promise that if you subscribe, there’s a possibility that you’ll get alerts when I post something new.  
> 4\. The titles for these one shots come from Javascript. I’m actually somewhat aware of the fact that as a programmer, Felicity would more likely use something like C++ or Java. But I write what I know, and I know JS, so … this is what you get. I do understand that the inaccuracy may bother some people, and I certainly can't blame you if the inaccuracy makes this hard for you to read. Just know that the coding is only in the titles, not in the stories themselves.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

Sometimes, when she sits at her computers in the dark, dank basement, she’s not sure she belongs.

Intellectually, she knows why she’s here. She started this journey as a way to find Walter Steele, the kind CEO who was her boss on paper and chose to take a chance and trust a lowly IT girl. She knows that her skills can uncover clues and find trails that Oliver and Diggle could never unwind. She still hopes that every day she will find the clue that leads the leather-clad vigilante to rescue a man who deserved better.

But in the nights where searching for Walter yields no new clues, what is her place on this vigilante team? When Oliver goes out in his hood and leathers, his place is to strike fear in the hearts of Starling City’s criminals and coerce them to right their wrongs. Diggle has a place as Oliver’s backup, both out in the field and in their home base, serving as a combination mentor, sounding board, training partner, and conscience.

In this partnership duo, what need is there for a simple IT girl? For months, the Hood has struck fear in the hearts of Starling’s elite, and only rarely has he needed a computer consult. What is she doing down here that she couldn’t do from her office at Queen Consolidated?

Every night, Oliver walks in with another name to cross off his list, another person who has failed this city. What can she do to help confront these men (and women)? Oliver was doing just fine finding his targets before she joined the team and he’s never needed her advice on how to threaten his victims.

Sometimes they do need her. When the criminals they are chasing use technology, she knows her purpose is to use it right back against them. Except when she fails. “This is the thing with what we do,” he says. “Sometimes we lose.” But if she fails her purpose, why is she here?

In their somber base, she's not sure she fits in with the silence. She knows she babbles, sharing inappropriate comments, thinking out loud, or just saying too much about her world. She knows the words come out when she doesn’t intend for them to do so. She puts a wall between herself and her babbles by working on things that can’t be discussed in the light of day. Her only confidant is her vigilante partner and friend, a man who dresses up in green leather and does his work in the night.

Though she’s not always sure she belongs, she shows up every night. She knows that together they can make a difference. Some days there are victories. Even in the darkest nights, there can be light. A man who began a journey alone found a brother. A duo who fought in the dark found their way illuminated through some technical know-how, smart thinking, and bright lipstick.

When she thinks about it, she does understand her place.

Her place is to bring the light into this dark, dank basement.


	2. document.getElementById(‘overwatch’)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's in a name?  
> AKA: Overwatch is awesome. But so are everyone else's codenames.

What’s in a name?

 _The Green Arrow._ The original Starling City Vigilante, now on his third name. Every night he puts on his green leather suit, grabs his bow and quiver full of arrows, and puts his heart and soul into saving his city. His name is spoken in fear by his enemies, in awe by the people he saves every night, and in love by his friends, family, and team.

 _Spartan_. A strong warrior (and stronger brother). A man who uses the same sense of honor that drove him to join the army to protect his city. No code name can do him true justice, but Spartan represents his military background, strong leadership capabilities, and determination to always keep moving forward. Spartan represents true strength.

 _Black Canary_. Honoring a beloved sister by taking up her mantle and fighting for the city she protected. The original Canary protected those who cannot protect themselves. The Black Canary has always fought that good fight in her work as a lawyer, and now channels that passion into honoring her sister’s legacy and protecting the innocents of Star City.

 _Speedy_. A young girl who chased her brother around has grown into a strong, passionate, and fierce young woman who fights alongside her brother and friends. Her red leathers connect her to the love of her past while at the same time pushing her to be a future savior of this city. Never done growing, she will speed into her future as a champion of Star City.

 _Overwatch._ She watches over her team from behind her computers. Protecting them, guiding them, clearing their way, and providing them with everything they need to know. On her watch, technology will not fail the team. She uses her skills and knowledge to guide them through their missions, clearing their way, giving them eyes and ears in places where they cannot see or hear. Overwatch will always watch over her team and ensure that they come home to her after every mission.

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Overwatch by any other name will still be a protector.  
(But the name still suits her. She loves it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI - you may have noticed that this story now has 4 chapters. This is the second "chapter," and I have two more in progress. After that, I think I'm done. I reserve the right to add more chapters later if ideas come to me, but since I haven't come up with a new idea in about a week now (before that it was basically one right after another), I might be done.  
> If you have any particular prompts you want me to write, feel free to share - I won't promise to write them, but it's very possible that someone will share an awesome idea that motivates me.


	3. olicity.split('wedding')

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding was fake, but the pain was real. Felicity's thoughts on her and Oliver's breakup (and fake wedding).

_ “I don’t know if I still deserve that trust, if I deserve you. But whatever has happened, whatever will happen, the way that you make me feel is the best part of my life. You can ask me to say that I don’t love you, that I will never lie to you again. You are my always, and I just want the chance to be yours.” _

Words are what got them here in the first place.

Words that weren’t said. “Felicity, I have a son.”

Words that were delivered alone. “My life is very dangerous, which is why we decided to keep you out of it all these years.” (A “we” that didn’t include a woman he claimed to want as his life partner.)

Words said without thought. “We need to get married.” As if it didn’t matter. As if a mission could reverse the hurt.

The words he said at the altar were beautiful. She knows they were heartfelt. She knows how much he loves her, and, heaven help her, she loves him just as much. But love isn’t enough. For this to work, for the words to be more than just letters put together, they need trust.

Trust is more than just a word. It’s more than just wanting a future together. It’s building that future - making decisions together. Sharing difficult moments together. Finding solutions together.

If someone can’t share their decisions with the person they claim to love the most, how can a few beautiful words be expected to erase that lack of trust?

He once saw the world as threats and targets. While suffering through five years of hell, he could never completely trust anyone. She was the exception - the first one he saw as a person. Why couldn’t that extend to trusting her too? Why couldn’t he understand that she was the one person he could trust completely?

Walking away from the man you love is unthinkably hard. Learning that he doesn’t trust you the way you trust him? Recovery from that is impossible. And that hurt is what makes it possible to do what’s difficult and walk away.

(She still loves him, that will never go away. But until he can learn to trust her, their love can never be more than background noise.)


	4. ota.concat([‘curtis’,‘rene’,‘dinah’])

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow is now three members larger. Who are Curtis, Rene, and Dinah and what do they bring to the team?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This "story," which I thought I would knock out in 1-2 weeks, has now taken over a month. It's been a busy few weeks, and things are only gonna get busier. I'm pretty overwhelmed with some stuff that's been happening this week (all good, just ... a lot), but I just kinda felt an urge to finish this up, so ... here's the last (for now at least) chapter.

ota.concat([‘curtis’,‘rene’,‘dinah’])

Team Arrow. The original gangstas. The team that started several years ago in the dark, dank basement of a steel foundry turned nightclub. She couldn’t fathom her life before this team, couldn’t imagine a world where the three of them were not working side-by-side (though it happened recently, she prefers to forget).

They’ve added team members (fairly organically) along the way (Roy, Thea) and suffered losses that were too much to bear (Sara, Laurel). Before this year, she’d never imagine recruiting new team members, and while she hated losing recruits (and the betrayal that accompanied one such loss), until now she wasn’t sure how large of a team they could sustain.

But somehow, they seem to be in a good place with their six-person team.

Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. Their (not always) fearless leader. The man who started it all and has sacrificed so much for his city. He spends his days fighting for the city as its mayor, and his nights fueling the change a mayor never could. Brother, lover, friend, hero. He will always give all of himself to the people he cares about and the city that has always been his home.

John Diggle, Spartan. Brother, friend, mentor. The man who has been by Oliver’s side through most of his journey, helping him, guiding him. He may have lost his way, but he found himself again through the team and helped guide every member of the team to always make the best decisions. He will always be someone she can rely on, someone the whole team can rely on in any situation.

Felicity Smoak, Overwatch. Tech support, eye-in-the-sky, operations coordinator, and team mother. She knows she plays many roles within the team, and she likes to think (though she’s not always sure it’s true) that she’s the glue that holds the team together. Nerd and hacktivist at heart, she uses her skills and her loving heart to keep her team safe.

Curtis Holt, Mr. Terrific. A fellow tech-nerd turned vigilante. A man who strives to use his knowledge and intellect to help the city he loves. After a few early moments of insecurity, he’s finally starting to find his place on the team, creating new tools for them to use in the bunker (saving them from having to call Cisco for help) and supporting them with those tools (and the skills he’s slowly learning) in the field. Despite some early stumbles, this good man has become a good vigilante.

Rene Ramirez, Wild Dog. Difficult and abrasive at times, his love for Star City makes him as passionate and driven as he is reckless. While he and Oliver butted heads early, they have come to respect each other (mostly) and work together to save the city. He will always continue the fight, no matter what, and his stubborn determination will always drive the team to work harder and be better. He will never give up, and the impact of his work will be felt by the city, even if nobody ever knows that he was the one fueling that change.

Dinah Drake, Black Canary. The newest member of the team carries on the (never to be forgotten) legacy of the original Black Canary, adding her own style and sass. A badass to the core, she is fiercely dedicated to her team and her ideals. She will always fight to protect the innocent, using her Canary Cry to help her team gain an advantage over the people who want to hold her new city down. Despite only being with the team for a short while, she has become indispensable, and her skills, passion, and personality make the team better than it ever was.

Individually, they are six people with six personalities and six sets of hopes and dreams. But as a group they are Team Arrow, the team that works tirelessly throughout the night (and day) to keep Star City together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed these little glimpses inside Felicity's mind!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
